German Green Growth

Germany Ahead of the CSR Curve When it Comes to Green Growth

January 23 2011 - UK business leaders believe Germany is the winner when it comes to taking advantage of the global green market.

A survey by the Government-funded Carbon Trust, found that three times as many business leaders thought Germany was better prepared in this area. 34% named Germany as best placed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by the green economy. In comparison only 1 in 8 business leaders thought the UK was best prepared in this important CSR area.

Of all the 700 people questioned, 92% agreed that green growth presents an opportunity for their own business. The CSR impact of this is key - with 77% stating that the main benefit of going green is to enhance their corporate reputation.

However, despite the fact that seven out of ten UK business leaders expect the green economy to account for a larger percentage of exports in five years' time, oddly, only a third said that having a 'sustainable' business plan can increase profits.

What is more, two in five think that green growth will outperform conventional growth across the whole economy and three quarters of business leaders expect a bigger percentage of jobs to be in the green economy in five years' time. Those two things are obviously linked, and business has a CSR challenge to ensure its staff are properly trained and prepared. {continued}